義の道を生きる-LIVE AND WALK IN THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

義の道を生きる

マタイ21.28-32

皆さん、今日の福音書でイエス様は先週の「ぶどう園と農夫」の話に引き続き神様の意志に対する義の道に沿った生き方について話してくださいました。

この例え話には3人の人物が登場しています。それは、父親、長男、そして次男です。 父親は2人の息子の所に行き、同じことを言いました。「子よ、今日、ぶどう園へ行って働きなさい」。

父親の話を聞いて、兄は「いやです」と答えましたが、後で考え直して、ぶどう園で働きました。しかし弟は「お父さん、承知しました」と答えましたが、働きに出ませんでした。ここで分かるのは、2人の息子が対照的な性格であるということです。

この例え話の重要な点は、否定の「いや」から肯定の「はい」への転換というところにあります。兄のほうは否定から肯定への転換であり、弟のほうは肯定から否定への転換、そしてそれは嘘に繋がるということです。「考え直す」という点では、兄は積極的に素直に父の言葉に従いました。

私達の生活には「否定的なもの」がたくさんあります。この否定から肯定へと人生のギアを切り替えて生きること、これが「考え直す」ということなのではないでしょうか。

皆さん、イエス様に従うということは、ただイエス様の言葉を聞くだけでなく、神様の御心に沿って生きるということです。これは非常に重要なポイントです。単に「はい」または「いいえ」と答えるだけではありません。神様は私達全員に本当の義の道に沿った行動、生き方を求めておられます。

ところで、先週の日曜日、私はメルボルン大聖堂でメルボルン大司教様と司祭達、そして移民や難民の方達と共にミサに参加しました。ミサの司式はピーター大司教様でした。ミサの雰囲気はとても国際的で、それぞれの国に担当が割り振られました。聖歌隊は南スーダンのグループ、憐みの歌はアラビア語、第一朗読は中国語で、第二朗読はポルトガル語でした。共同祈願はシリア語、クロアチア語、タガログ語、インドネシア語、スペイン語、ベトナム語で捧げられました。奉納の歌はスワヒリ語コミュニティが担当しました。国は違っても、多様性の中で、人々が集まり、心を一つにしてミサを捧げることができたのは、とても感動的でした。愛と平和の中で生きるということは、なんと美しく、素晴らしいことだと私は思いました。

2017年10月2日、ちょうど６年前の明日、インドネシアの西ティモールのアタンブアで、私を含め６名が神言修道会の司祭として、また３名がクラレチア会の司祭として叙階されました。神言会のメンバーとして、その時私が神様から受けた使命は、福音宣教、神様の愛を多くの人々に告げ知らせることでした。司祭として、もし我が身にいかなる受難が起きても、私はその受難を避けようとはしません。そういう時こそ、自分の人生を神様に委ねます。それこそが私の義の道だからです。

神様の御心を実行するということは神様に全てを捧げて最大限に仕えることを意味します。私達は日常生活の中で神様の御言葉を素直に受け止め、義の道に生きる人になりましょう。皆さん、今週もお元気にお過ごしください。

主の平和

LIVE AND WALK IN THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

My dear brother and sister in Christ. In today's Gospel, Jesus continues last week's story of "The Vineyard and the Farmer" by talking about living according to God's will, so that we can walk in the path of righteousness.

In this parable, there are three people that Jesus shows us. They are the father, the eldest son, and the second son. The father came to his two sons and said the same thing. "Son, go work in the vineyard today."

After hearing his father's story, the elder brother said, "No," but then changed his mind and went to work in the vineyard. But the younger brother replied, "Dad, I understand," but he did not go to work. What we see here is that the two sons have contrasting personalities.

The important point in this parable is the transition from the negative "no" to the affirmative "yes". The older brother's case is a shift from negative to positive thoughts and actions, from negation to affirmation. The younger brother's case was a switch from affirmation to negation, from positive to negative thoughts. Here, when there was an opportunity to "think and reflect back on something that happened before", the elder brother actively and obediently followed his father's words.

I guess, there are many "negative things" in our lives. Changing our mindset from negative to positive might be the meaning of "thinking about and reflecting back on something that happened in our lives". Therefore, take your time to always look back, rethink, and reflect on every event in your life according to God's will. Who knows, there is something interesting that you can change and do in your life.

My dear brother and sister, following Jesus means not only listening to Jesus' words but also living according to God's will. This is a very important point. It is not just a matter of answering "yes" or "no". God requires us to not only behave and act according to our hearts, but to behave, act, and live according to His will so that we can live and walk the path of true righteousness.

By the way, Last Sunday, I attended Mass at Melbourne Cathedral with the Archbishop of Melbourne, priests, and immigrants and refugees. The Mass was presided over by Archbishop Peter. The atmosphere of the Mass was very international, each country was given a role. The choir was a South Sudanese group, and the Kyrie song was sung in Arabic. The first reading was in Mandarin and the second in Portuguese. The Gospel procession and song were performed by the Tongan community. Common prayers were offered in Syriac, Croatian, Tagalog, Indonesian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The offering song was performed by the Swahili community. It was very moving to see so many diverse people, even though they come from different countries, come together and offer Mass with one heart. I felt how beautiful and wonderful it is to live in love and peace.

Six years ago, on 2 October 2017, six deacons including myself, were ordained as priests in the Society of the Divine Word, and three deacons were ordained as priests in the Claretian Congregation in Nenuk, Atambua-West Timor, Indonesia. As a member of the Divine Word Society, I want to proclaim and witness God's love to many people. As a priest, I try to face the twists and turns of my life journey, while surrendering them to God. I believe that only because of the blessings of my parents, siblings, extended family, and everyone who supports me, as well as God's guidance, protection, and love, I am able to walk in the path of His love.

Carrying out God's will means devoting everything to God to the fullest extent possible. Let us be people who receive God's word honestly in our daily lives and live according to God's will so that we can walk the path of righteousness. I hope everyone is doing well this week.

PEACE BE WITH YOU